Fatherhood, Motherhood
by butterflymaiden02
Summary: A set of one-shots involving conversations and observations about or regarding the "parents" of our favorite host club. Not meant to be in any order. Something new, directly anime-based.
1. A New Member

"Didn't Haruhi do well today?"

Kyoya calmly shut the door to the third music room. "Well, he's not completely without manners."

Tamaki frowned. "Kyoya! He did better than that and you know it."

"Sixty percent of his customers made appointments to be with Haruhi tomorrow."

The host club king beamed. "See? And that was just his first day hosting! A bit more practice and some more experience, he will bring in as many ladies as any one of our other members!"

"As many as you?"

"That will take much more practice and training! Haruhi may be able to charm them naturally, but he will have to develop that charm!" Tamaki sprinted slightly ahead of Kyoya. "Haruhi will need a mentor. As founder, president, and king of the Ouran High School Host Club," he struck a pose with one finger pointed up in the air and declared, "it is my duty, no my honor to take up such a role so that Haruhi can reach his full potential as a host!"

Kyoya calmly walked past Tamaki and his background of roses. "Haruhi might not want to be mentored."

"Then I will have to do it subtly!" Tamaki was too busy thinking and planning to see the vice-president turn his head to look at him. "I will impart my knowledge as a fellow club member, a friend, a father!" A black eyebrow rose.

"It is only natural for fathers to teach their wisdom to their children." Tamaki hurried to catch up to Kyoya. "In fact, the club is like a family! The twins are in the same year as Haruhi, so they would be like brothers, all three! I'm not sure what that would make Honey-senpai or Mori-senpai though," the blonde frowned, "or us for that matter."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out." Kyoya pushed his glasses up as they stepped outside, the glint of light masking his blink as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunshine. "Besides, you were the one who said you would be Haruhi's father."

"And so I shall be!"


	2. Why Haruhi Should Stay in the Host Club

"A girl, Kyoya, Haruhi is a girl!"

Kyoya continued typing on his laptop. "Yes, I am aware; you've said that six times already."

"But a girl, Kyoya! Should she even be in the host club?"

"She did break an eight million yen vase."

"Never mind that!"

"She also said that she was willing to continue being a host."

"But she's a girl!" Tamaki began to pace while he fussed. "She should be wearing the glorious golden uniform of our ladies, embroidering her initials on a handkerchief, and partaking of our services." He wheeled around to face Kyoya. "Not dressing as a boy and providing service!"

"Somehow, I can't imagine Haruhi doing embroidery."

"Kyoya, be serious!" The blonde slammed his hands down on the table.

Calmly closing the laptop, Kyoya looked up. "I am serious. It seems to me that the best arrangement is for her to stay in the club."

"But why!?"

"Haruhi is an honors student, a commoner here on a scholarship. All the other students have the protection of money, pedigree, and bodyguards. Some of them are not as honorable as you, Miss Ayanokoji for example."

A flash of pain flickered in the violet eyes before understanding dawned. "So Haruhi should stay with us for her own protection because of our families' influence."

_Actually, it is so that she pays off her debt_, Kyoya thought.

"Well, that does explain why you had Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai escort her out." Kyoya ignored him, slipping the laptop into his bag. "You are absolutely right! She must remain where we can protect her against any that would harm her at this school! As her father, it is my sworn duty to see to Haruhi's welfare!"

Kyoya looked out the window. "Tamaki, your car has arrived."

"Just think, Kyoya, two sons and a daughter!" Tamaki called back as he rushed out of the room.


	3. Updating the Photo Album

"Tamaki, we should do a new album for the host club now that Haruhi has joined us."

"Yes, a family picture with exclusive shots of my daughter with her father!"

"You're not my dad."

"Don't worry, Haruhi; you can be in pictures with us instead."

"Unhand her, you doppelgangers!"

"Takashi, let's have a picture with Haru-chan too!"

"Sure."

"Haruhi!"

Kyoya sighed.


	4. Dress Measurements

"Mother!"

Kyoya sighed and set a glass paperweight on the delicate stack of papers accumulated by his laptop, bracing for whatever kind of enthusiastic entry "Daddy" was about to make. Of all the nicknames Tamaki had tried out, why was it that "Mother" stuck?

"Those doppelganger twins are violating our daughter again!"

"I'm fairly certain that all they want to do is measure Haruhi so they can make her costumes the right size."

"Exactly, milord." The twins appeared having accomplished their goal – using Haruhi to send their senpai into a raving fit.

"Besides," started the one on the left.

"…in all the movies we've watched,"

"…it's the brothers' responsibility to tease their sister," they calmly finished together.

Ignoring Tamaki's sputtering, Kyoya asked, "Did you get the measurements?"

"Naturally."

"Here they are, Mom." The look Kyoya gave the twin (Hikaru he thought) had both of them retreating to a sofa on the other side of the room.

"Mother, you're scaring the children," the blonde said reproachfully. Kyoya looked at him indifferently and went back to his laptop.

Haruhi hadn't really needed to have measurements taken again, but since Kyoya had noticed her fidgeting in her last few costumes, he figured it would be wise to get them done. If they had to modify things so that she could remain hidden as a boy, then it was worth it. If she had been restless because of the rich materials, Kyoya would add the cost of a dress fitting to her debt for making him worry.

He almost paused at that, but quickly pushed the thought away. Blame it on Tamaki; the idiot was wearing off on him.


	5. Disruptive

It seemed to Kyoya that the second year of the club was more hectic than the first year. The only factor change: an androgynous, blunt scholarship student who went by the name Fujioka Haruhi.

"Please, Haruhi! Father wants his daughter to match his costume!"

"No." A quick glance confirmed a gathering darkness in one corner of the dressing room.

There was no point in asking for Tamaki's opinion on his thoughts. Tamaki's newfound interest in 'commoner culture' wouldn't even cross his mind as related to the host club's activities. The prince-type would attribute their busy schedules to the continued faithfulness of the princesses and their friends. So Kyoya finished dressing and hurried everyone out to the main room. He didn't have to wait long for his next proof of how crazy their school lives had become.

"Haruhi, you don't seem to have many customers booked today."

"You could host with us today if you want." The three hosts were walking towards a couple of the twins' regular designators.

"I was going to do some extra studying to prepare for our upcoming tests…" Haruhi tried to make herself heard and was immediately ignored. Having caught their regulars' attention, the twins decided to work it.

"Hikaru, I thought you would talk to me before asking Haruhi to join us." There was a slight squeal as one twin reached to grab the affected twin's hand.

"Kaoru, I only asked because I thought you would want me to since Haruhi is our friend. I'm sorry if I rushed it; you are the most important to me."

"Oh, Hikaru!" The twins pulled each other close for a hug, sandwiching Haruhi between them to their guests' delight.

"You two!" Tamaki revived. "Unhand Haruhi immediately!" This only served to cause the twins to snuggle more closely to her and blink innocently at their irate senpai.

Kyoya tuned out the lecture Tamaki was embarking on. The twins had never been able to wind up the blonde in the first year the way they did now. Their tricks in the first year looked like a mere opening act for the main event. They had Haruhi and weren't afraid to use her for their amusement. "…a trespass of decency, a violation of decorum!" That was a new addition to the rant, Kyoya noted, as well as the fact that Tamaki hadn't realized that Haruhi was looking a little blue from lack of air.

"Mori-senpai." Haruhi looked pleadingly out of her 'twin' restraints. They obligingly released her as he neared.

"Haru-chan, I have a strawberry cake today. Would you like a piece?"

Tamaki's back was turned for all of this, and when he looked back, Haruhi was gone and the twins were deep in conversation with their fans, completely ignoring him. A pasty-white Tamaki slumped down on the couch beside him. "Mother, I feel very tired." Color slowly filled the tall frame as Kyoya poured a cup of tea.

"I noticed."

Tamaki accepted the teacup. "Is it really this tiring to have children?"

"Probably."

"How do commoners do it when they can't afford servants?" Tamaki wondered aloud, sipping from the delicate china.

"Tamaki, customers."

"Welcome, princesses!" As Tamaki went to greet them, Kyoya finished his tea, picked up his black book, and opened it to a familiar page.

"Haruhi."

The natural host paused in 'his' delivery of a tea set. "Yes, Kyoya-senpai?"

"I'm adding a half million yen to your debt."

"Wha-why!?" She watched in horror as the Shadow King made the notation in his book.

"For being disruptive." He closed the book and walked away to greet a new customer.

Haruhi stood there, rooted in place by shock. Slowly, she surveyed the third music room. Honey-senpai was running around, making his Usa-chan fly; Mori-senpai was surrounded by their giggling customers. She was just in time to see a designator of the twins faint into her squealing friend's arms as Hikaru pulled Kaoru close and stroked his cheek with a finger. The reaction of the designator had a ripple effect as other girls noticed. Kyoya was showing a couple of new products (were those her pens?) to a group of customers. Almost unwillingly, she turned to see Tamaki kiss a rose before handing it to a blushing princess much to the delight of the other girls sitting opposite them.

Setting down the tea set in front of Tamaki, she caught a glimpse of her textbooks waiting by the window on a table behind him. _"And I'm being disruptive?"_


	6. Beautiful Roses amidst Thorns

Tamaki smiled; he was sure of what he'd seen even if the expression was minute.

"Tama-chan! Tama-chan!"

"Yes, Honey-senpai?" He turned his attention to the petite senior.

"Would you like to have cake with me, Usa-chan, Takashi, and the ladies?"

Well, it was a rare moment when he had no customers. "It would be my pleasure, Honey-senpai." On a hunch, he made sure to sit where he could observe the whole room and especially Kyoya.

Kyoya circulated smoothly between incoming appointments, his own customers, and his black book. It was when he was by himself or escorting a girl to her chosen host, that the little flickers Tamaki was looking for appeared more.

Situated between the twins and Haruhi, Kyoya would occasionally glance over if a customer asked Haruhi a difficult question in regards to herself. The natural host never looked at the Shadow King, but answered calmly and neutrally. Tamaki knew that Haruhi would likely never see the fleeting glimpse of relief and protectiveness in Kyoya's eyes.

This was almost a complete opposite to the look the twins got. Kyoya usually approached them so that the girls didn't see him; generally the twins would smarten up and behave a little better while he was there. Tamaki wondered if either of them had observed the slight satisfaction and humor that tugged at Kyoya's lips when he turned away. For sure they didn't see the approval that hid deep inside the formidable senpai.

Because he was sitting with them, Tamaki was sure that he wouldn't get to see the respect and understanding that Kyoya treated their upper classmen with.

A tug on his sleeve brought him back to the present. "Tama-chan, what are you thinking of so intently?"

He turned to the bright eyes looking at him. "Only of how the thorniest bushes have the most beautiful roses."

The ladies giggled, but Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai exchanged knowing looks and smiles. Tamaki sipped his tea, aware of the grey eyes of his vice-president looking at him, pleased to see a rare gentleness and kindness in their depths underneath the exasperation.


	7. A Gift for Kyoya, A Surprise for Tamaki

"You're sure that this is the most recent one?"

"Yes, Ootori-san." There was a slight rustle of unfolding paper.

After a moment, "I'll put a bonus on your next paycheck."

"Thank you, sir."

The first person did not speak again until he got into his car. "Tachibana, I want you to express-mail this, to be opened by the receiver only. Be discreet."

"Yes, Kyoya-san." The bodyguard took the package. "Do you require anything else, sir?"

"No. Just make sure that it will arrive before the weekend."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"Is this really a good idea?" Haruhi asked nervously.

"It's milord's idea." The twins shrugged.

"Exactly." Haruhi pointed out. "This is Tamaki-senpai we're talking about, and Kyoya-senpai we have to deal with."

"She's right about Kyoya-senpai," Kaoru said to Hikaru.

"Don't worry." Hikaru grinned. "Just keep Tamaki-senpai between you and the shadow king at all times."

"We're here!" The first-year trio turned to see Honey riding on Mori's shoulders, and Mori was holding a large cake box. "Where's Tama-chan? Why are all of you standing outside?" 'Outside' being the hallway side of the door leading into the third Ootori son's rooms.

"We're locked out," the twins explained.

"And we left our lock picks at home," Hikaru added.

"Oh." Honey jumped down from his perch and examined the door. "Kyo-chan won't be happy if we break his door, will he, Takashi?" Mori made an agreeing noise. "Kyo-chan doesn't wake up very well." The other three agreed with Honey while Haruhi sweat-dropped.

How on earth could Tamaki have planned to come here without considering how to get in? All he would have needed was a key and… Suddenly she remembered. Just before she had left for the day, Tamaki had rushed up to her outside the main doors of Ouran Academy. "Hang onto this," was all he said, pressing something into her hand before speeding away. She hadn't looked at whatever it was; she had been in a hurry herself because of a sale that day on pork.

The boys were discussing the pros and cons of door-breaking (especially of a door belonging to the low blood pressure demon lord). Kaoru was commenting that if the hinges had been on their side of the door, they could have pulled the pins out; Hikaru was wondering where they could find a maid to charm their way into Kyoya's suite. She put her hands into the pockets of the coat she had grabbed as the twins dragged her out that morning. Sure enough, there was an extra object in the bottom corner of the right pocket.

Mori moved to give Haruhi closer access to the doorknob. The scrape of a key caught Honey's ears, and the twins quieted when they heard the click of an opening lock. Wordlessly, Haruhi turned the knob and pushed open the door.

"Why didn't you just say you had a key?" the twins asked as they trooped inside.

"I didn't know," she grumbled as Honey took her hand and tugged her into the room.

"Come on, everybody, let's finish getting ready!"

"We brought you a dress, Haruhi." The twins shoved her into a washroom with the smallest of the five bags they had been carrying.

"Why do I have to change?"

"We all are!" The door snapped shut.

When Haruhi stepped out of the bathroom, Tamaki was arriving. "You look great, Haruhi! Is everyone ready?"

"Hold on, milord," Hikaru interrupted.

"Let us finish her hair," Kaoru explained.

"After all, she is wearing a Hitachiin original that no one has seen in public yet." That comment made Haruhi more nervous than what they were doing with her hair.

***************

Since meeting Tamaki, Kyoya had found that waking up with unfamiliar sounds around him was probably not a good sign. Past experience stated that when there were other noises present that lacked his alarm clocks, Tamaki had usually dressed him, put him in a limo, taken him God-knows-where, and was either waiting for him to wake up or had left him while he woke up.

It was with some surprise that he noticed that he was still in his own bedroom and a greater shock that there was no one standing over him to shake him awake as soon as his eyes opened. The noise floating in his door was confusing to say the least.

"Haruhi, hold still or this will never stay." There was a spraying noise followed by a spasm of coughing. "All done!"

"So cute! Wait until Mother sees you!"

"How do I look, Haruhi?" That was Honey-senpai's voice. What was the whole club doing here? Using his living room as a dressing room? And why? With a groan, he wondered if it was worth getting up now or if he should wait until Tamaki burst in.

"Kyoya!" Scratch the first option.

"What is it, Tamaki?"

"Oh, good, you're already awake! Get changed, the others are waiting." Kyoya put his glasses on to make out what the Tamaki blob was wearing. Dark charcoal pants, a short-sleeved cream dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, and gold accessories sharpened into focus. "The twins brought your outfit." Tamaki lifted a bag in his hand. Anything the twins picked couldn't be that bad.

"Good morning, Kyo-chan."

"Good morning, Honey-senpai." Kyoya tried to fasten a cuff on his shirt.

"No, no, no!" The twins descended on him (carefully, he noted). Within seconds, they had rolled up his sleeves to a three-quarter length, unbuttoned his vest, and approved of the silver chain and watch he had accessorized with. "We're not going anywhere that fancy, Kyoya-senpai, so you can relax a little."

"Just look at the rest of us."

The twins were in long black shorts and polo shirts; orange for Hikaru, light blue for Kaoru. Mori was in a cream dress shirt, sleeves rolled up above his elbows to show off embroidery accents on the inside of the sleeves that matched the accents on his dark wash jeans. Honey-senpai was in dark blue shorts and a white polo shirt. Haruhi was wearing a light pink and white sundress; her short hair somehow hanging onto two bow ribbons. All of them were wearing designer sandals. He fit right in with his dark cargo pants, short sleeved black dress shirt (embroidery similar to Mori's on his collar), and light blue casual vest.

"Why are all of you here?"

Tamaki put an arm over his shoulders. "I'm taking you out for breakfast! Well, brunch actually."

Kyoya's brain began to scramble through his agenda of current and upcoming events. "Why?"

"It's Mother's Day! So Daddy is taking the whole family out in your honor."

"The outfit is yours to keep, Mom." The twins grinned.

"Takashi and I brought cake!"

Haruhi shrugged. "You do a lot for the club." Well, he couldn't really expect more than that from her.

Kyoya couldn't say no, even when it turned out that they were only going down to the patio by their outdoor pool. Tamaki had made it look like an outdoor café, with French appetizers while they waited for their breakfast orders. In all honesty, Kyoya found the gift and day very satisfying.

"Haruhi, this vase of flowers is for your mother!" Tamaki gestured to a huge urn sitting on one end of the patio, full of flowers.

"It won't fit in my living room, Tamaki-senpai."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

It was a few days later, after the club closed and everyone was changing out of their cosplay, Kyoya leisurely commented, "Tamaki, I don't think that I thanked you for brunch the other day."

"Yes, you did," Tamaki stated in a confused tone. Kyoya never forgot anything.

"I received a note yesterday from a friend I made on our class trip to France. She got a letter that made her very happy, and she had to write to me about it." Tamaki's eyes widened. "It was from a family member of hers; she said that it strengthened her, that she had not felt so good in two years."

"That," Tamaki cleared his throat, "that's great, Kyoya."

"Happy Mother's Day, Tamaki."


	8. Puppy Dog Eyes

"Any moment now, he's going to start looking at us with those puppy-dog eyes and we won't be able to say no, so he'll win."

***** *****

_The only trouble with puppy-dog eyes_, Tamaki thought, _is that they have nearly no effect on Kyoya!_ So every time he looked up, he focused on his silent, stubborn vice president. The sun was shining directly onto Kyoya's glasses, keeping him from seeing the expression in Kyoya's eyes. Even with that handicap, Tamaki kept trying until…

"There will be some conditions. We will supply the outline for the article, interviews outside the club are prohibited, and our clients' identities must be kept confidential. Do we agree?"

"Yay! Thank you, Kyoya!"

"I will make the arrangements with the newspaper club. So you can brainstorm some things to do while they interview us."

***** *****

Where there's a will, there's a way. Tamaki really wanted to get involved with the newspaper club, and Kyoya knew that if he didn't get involved, the whole of the host club would be in trouble. The reputation of the newspaper club hardly inspired confidence that they wanted a human interest story for their pages. Kyoya ignored the first set of puppy-dog eyes.

Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai would be willing to pull Tamaki out of trouble, but Kyoya was sure that even Mori would get tired out trying to keep track of both blondes. A second glance was also unacknowledged.

Haruhi had no connections and couldn't stop Tamaki even when she wanted to spend the effort to do so. The third look caused her to capitulate.

The twins would be powerful allies when it came to dealing with Komatsuzawa Akira, the president of the newspaper club, but they wouldn't be able to keep Tamaki in check. The twins were turning their heads away by the fourth glance. "This is going to be so much trouble," Kaoru whispered.

If anyone was going to keep this situation under control, it would have to be him. If Komatsuzawa-san did what Kyoya thought he would do, well… Kyoya decided a talk to the more self-aware members of the host club was in order. As for Tamaki, "There will be some conditions."

***** *****

Tamaki never gave it a thought; he was too happy over Kyoya's change of heart to notice that it had only taken five pairs of puppy-dog eyes to make the man give in, as compared to how much effort it usually took to get Kyoya to change his mind.

***** *****

Where there's a will, there's a way. It briefly crossed Kyoya's mind that he was crazy to keep giving in to his classmate or finding ways to accommodate the Suoh heir's often bizarre wishes and ideas. _I'm just following my father's wishes_, was his mental retort. _I'm just being friends with Suoh Tamaki_.


	9. Illness

Kyoya could feel it coming on, so it wasn't a particular surprise when the staff summoned a doctor who told him to stay home from school for the next week. Unfortunately, that meant that he needed a replacement at the club.

"_Haruhi's phone, Kaoru speaking."_

Kyoya momentarily debated about whether or not to ask. "This is Kyoya. Is Haruhi available?"

"_Mm, no. Hikaru and I are making her try on some outfits of our mother's. Do you want her to call you back?"_

"No." This was the more sensible of the twins that he was talking to. "I'm out sick with a cold. Haruhi will need to take over a few things at the club for me."

"_Sure, what are they?"_

"Mostly greeting the guests and booking appointments. I'll call Tamaki to cancel the cosplay for this week."

"_Let us handle it. You should get some rest, and if you call Milord, you won't get any."_

Kyoya had a feeling that he was no longer talking just to Kaoru, but decided to ignore it. "Between the three of you, Tamaki should be alright. Don't let him drag the host club over for a visit either."

"_Okay! We'll take care of everything! Feel better, Kyoya-senpai!" _CLICK

Kyoya concluded that he was too tired to care and lay back to follow the doctor's orders.

***** *****

Monday – He received 51 texts from Tamaki. Kyoya decided to not check his voicemail.

Tuesday – A maid reported that a huge urn of roses had been delivered and placed in his living room. He opted to look at the card later.

Wednesday – He called Haruhi's phone, left a message, and deleted all phone messages with Tamaki's number on them.

Thursday – Haruhi left a message saying that it would be good if Kyoya would hurry up and get better. He deleted more messages from Tamaki.

Friday – Another smaller bouquet of wild-flowers showed up. This was from all the other hosts. He read Tamaki's card from Monday and decided to text the idiot before he got any ideas to drop in. Tamaki's last text had been slightly puzzling, but the club was already open so there was nothing he could do about it.

Saturday – Kyoya braced himself for an impromptu visit by the host club kin after school ended. Surprisingly, Tamaki did not come over though it didn't stop him from texting Kyoya regarding "2 dplgngrs w/daugtr" and other related stuff. The only texts that Kyoya bothered respond to were inquiries about his health, and that was only once in the afternoon and once in the evening.

Sunday – Kyoya wasn't sure how they managed it but the host club did not intrude on his ending convalescence. He took the opportunity to get caught up on the status of his investments and even left a message at Tamaki's mansion to assure the blonde that he would be back at school the next day.

***** *****

"MOMMY!"

Kyoya mentally winced at the latest incarnation of his nickname and thanked whatever distraction was keeping people from arriving in the classroom. Outwardly, he ignored Tamaki in order to pull out his laptop for taking notes in class.

"Kyoya?" The voice was hesitant.

"I'm fine, Tamaki." He smiled for the blonde's benefit, and berated himself for forgetting the reason that the Suoh child was here.

Tamaki smiled with relief. He had never liked it when Mother was ill.


	10. Laptop Trouble

_It was strange_, Haruhi thought as she kept one eye on her senpai and the other on her guests. He appeared as impassive as ever, but there were definitely stress lines crinkling the corners of his mouth. She couldn't see his eyes and was certain that she didn't want to either.

Honey and Mori had been greeting the incoming ladies, Hikaru and Kaoru weren't creating extra trouble, and even Tamaki had reined in his energy around the shadow king. But for all their attempts to help, Kyoya appeared to be getting more and more frustrated.

Yes, frustrated. As strange as it sounded, the Ootori heir was losing the battle with frustration to the point that it was becoming visible on his face. Haruhi was glad that the laptop was bearing the brunt of his focus. She was even happier when the club time ended and she could go home. She did not want Kyoya's mood to translate into an increase in debt for her.

Kaoru passed her one of her textbooks. "Kyoya-senpai seems a bit stressed today."

"Want to come home with us, Haruhi?" Hikaru was mentally measuring the distance between them and the door.

"Haruhi," a voice sang out. All three cringed. "Are you done your chores?"

"Yes, Tamaki-senpai, everything's done."

"Kyo-chan." Honey's voice distracted them. They watched the senior brave the dark atmosphere around Kyoya to place a plate of cake on his table. "It's a lime and cream cake; I think that you'll like it." Kyoya's response was too low to hear, but it pleased Honey because he cheerfully bounced back to Mori and wished everyone else a good night as he left on his cousin's shoulders.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, why don't you take Haruhi home?" Haruhi jerked, not just because of the oddity of Tamaki's request, but was there a low rumble of thunder just now?

"Sure, boss." The twins looked nervously over at the vice-president.

"Um, Tamaki-senpai?"

"Try not to die." With Hikaru's parting comment, Haruhi found herself sandwiched between the twins and swept out the door, Tamaki smiling and waving brightly as they exited.

"Whoa," Kaoru said, collapsing inside the limo.

"No kidding," Hikaru agreed, running a hand through his hair. "I do not envy milord, not one bit."

"I don't understand." Haruhi was looking out the window. "I thought I heard thunder, but there's not a dark cloud out there."

The twins sweat-dropped and wondered how someone who had been watching Kyoya so closely could miss the connection so completely.

***** ***** *****

As soon as the door shut behind the twins and Haruhi, Tamaki's smile dropped. Worriedly, he turned to face the vice-presidential storm brewing in the background. Kyoya usually had too much control to lose his temper in public, but as the club's day had progressed, so had the tension in his neck and shoulders. The other club members didn't know the full extent of Kyoya's temper, and instinctively shied away when there seemed to be a possibility of finding out.

"_Try not to die." _Hikaru's words came to mind unbidden, and Tamaki's lips twisted upwards grimly.

Instead of approaching Kyoya right away, Tamaki decided to make tea. Haruhi had taught him to boil water without scorching the kettle, a skill applicable to all kinds of commoners' cuisine as well as the basis of many dishes of the wealthy. He carefully prepared the drink, not wanting to annoy Kyoya before he was ready to deal with the fallout.

"What's that?"

"Chai tea with spearmint. It should go well with the cake Honey-senpai left for you." Tamaki kept up a steady stream of chatter while Kyoya drank his tea and had a couple bites of the cake. It didn't stop him from shooting dark glares at his laptop every few seconds though. Finally, Tamaki asked the question. "What's bothering you, Kyoya?"

"It's nothing, Tamaki." But there did seem to be a slight embarrassment underneath the words (Tamaki wasn't sure), and another glare was directed at the laptop.

"Your laptop seems to be troubling you. Do you need a new one?"

"The laptop is fine." Kyoya hesitated before admitting, "A program on it isn't working properly though."

Tamaki was pleased to see the atmosphere lighten a little. "Can I look at it? Maybe I can help."

Kyoya shook his head. "I've tried everything. It's not working."

"Did you try rebooting it?"

Kyoya seemed about to make a scathing retort, but waved a hand at the laptop instead. "Be my guest."

There was some tapping of keys, Kyoya finished his cake and poured another cup of tea, and Tamaki hummed. After a minute or two, Tamaki passed the aggravating piece of technology to Kyoya. "Try it now," he said excitedly.

Mostly to amuse the blonde, Kyoya logged in and opened the troublesome file. After testing a few things out, he shut it down. He raised his eyes to see violet ones eagerly awaiting the outcome. "It worked," he volunteered reluctantly.

"Hooray! Come, Kyoya, let me treat you to dinner. But leave that laptop off tonight; you need a break," he added seriously.

Kyoya shook his head, but called home to let them know he had an appointment with the Suoh heir that evening.

***** ***** *****

When Haruhi and the twins walked into the school, their senses were assaulted by the scent, sight, and feel of roses and rose petals blowing through the building.

"So, does this mean milord is alive…?"

"…or is this a memorial to him?" The twins began to muse aloud.

"I would say he's alive," Haruhi stated, pointing to a cluster of giggling girls. "If Tamaki-senpai was dead, they would be crying rivers."

Signs of Tamaki's well-being were all over the school. When classes were over for the day and it was time for the club, Haruhi felt worn out and they hadn't even seen him yet! Kyoya, however, seemed to be in a pleasant frame of mind, much improved from the previous day.

The twins managed to pull Tamaki aside. "So what was wrong with Kyoya-senpai?"

"Just some computer trouble." Tamaki said breezily, offering Haruhi a rose.

"Computer trouble?" She sweat-dropped, taking the rose without thinking.

"Yep. Oh, that reminds me. Kyoya!" The blonde hurried away.

"Computer trouble," said Hikaru.

"I guess that makes sense," Kaoru agreed.

For her part, Haruhi was stunned that an inanimate object could get more of a reaction from the shadow king than the blond nuisance trying to get him to accept a gift of a dozen rose-shaped stress balls.

"But I bought them for you, Kyoya!"

"No, thank you."

Haruhi had enough sense not to ask when she found one of them in the garbage at the end of the day, life squeezed out of it.

*

**

***Author's Note***

It seemed appropriate to post this because of the current state of problems I'm having with my laptop. Can you believe that I actually wrote this before all that trouble happened? Talk about premonition.


	11. So Unsure, What Have You Done?

Tamaki was perfectly aware of Kyoya's dark side. After all, he had provoked his quiet classmate into showing his true self to him. The trouble was that, with the situation in front of him, Tamaki was realizing that he didn't know what Kyoya was fully capable of in one of his dark moods.

Kyoya had agreed with him that Haruhi had been careless with her own safety. He had seen the anger simmering in the depths behind the glasses as Kyoya's security team had evicted the two troublemakers, though Kyoya had calmed by dinnertime. But had Kyoya…? The megane seemed bored, standing there with a towel hanging around his neck. The rest of the scene was…strange.

To start with, the lights were off. Since Kyoya was wearing a tailored pair of pants, he obviously wasn't planning to sleep. Tamaki also knew that it was far too early to find Kyoya planning to go to sleep; it was still a good time to visit his room.

Secondly, Haruhi was sitting on the bed. Seeing her was surprise enough, but if Kyoya had asked to speak with her, wouldn't he have used a quiet corner in a more public setting? Why in his room? Why weren't both of them sitting at the little table in front of the windows?

Last was the bed itself. When Tamaki had glanced in earlier, it had been neatly turned down, waiting for an occupant, not any different from any other bedrooms they were using. Now it looked rumpled, and the top sheet was tossed to one side with the blanket. Haruhi's eyes were wide and her hair seemed a bit tousled, but Kyoya was perfectly calm, tossing the towel onto a chair and picking up a shirt.

For some reason, the movement incited a burst of anger and trepidation. "Kyoya…"

"You wanted lotion, right?" The black-haired man pushed a bottle against Tamaki's chest, walked out of the room, and shut the door behind him. What made Tamaki worry was how Kyoya didn't look him in the eye.

* * *

I could have misinterpreted the tone of that one word in the English dub, but it's an interesting thought, hm?


	12. Author's Request

So, regretfully, this is not a new chapter for this story. I would like to request your assistance regarding a new story.

I have been considering a fanfiction for Fruits Basket. However, I do have a concern that it is too much like some of the other stories on FanFiction. I would love for you to read the story, answer my poll, and pass it on to your friends to check out.

The story is at s/9025996/1/Preview-of-New-Fruits-Basket-Story

Even if you are not a Fruba fan, I would love your feedback so that I can gauge how much interest the story is generating and find out how well people are able to follow along.


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